Summer Camp in Indy was the BEST!!!! We all left with peace in our fingers and love in our hearts! If you’ve never watched this video of Susan Salidor’s song it will put a smile on your face! It should be the theme song for your class this coming school year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UhXG2Sk1l8
I'll be doing Summer Camps in Detroit in July and Austin in August,. (Go to sde.com to get details.) It's just like real camp with songs, crafts, games, and new friends. There won't be any bugs, but we'll learn how to turn standards and rigor into fun and games!!!
No matter how they try to overwhelm us with academics and assessments, we will never let them take away our JOY! Look at these fantastic celebrations the teachers did to end the year on a happy note.
Camp Kindergarten (Michelle Page)
Last two weeks of school -
*We meet at the flagpole for camp songs, the pledge, etc. (“Baby Shark,” “The Ants Go Marching,” “Banana Dance,” “Chicka Boom,” and “Calamine Lotion” are a few songs we sing.)
*Parents write letters for “mail call” and the children write back.
*Look at our camp t-shirts with the kids’ names on the back.
*Take an ABC nature walk.
*Make s’mores and trail mix.
*Bring blankets, towels, sleeping bags – take off shoes to read, do work, listen to a story.
*Go fishing for words (plastic pool and words with magnets).
*Go on a bear hunt.
*So a bug/insect/worm study.
Frozen Day (Natalle Oxley)
Watch the movie.
Dress up as Elsa, Anna, Olaf…
Eat “frozen” Chex mix (vanilla).
Make a snowstorm in a bottle (small water bottle with glitter).
Do Epsom salt snow painting and snowflake snow paint.
Eat blue hard candy.
Do a sight word snowball fight.
Find “S” balls and write the word.
Kindergarten Graduation Block Party (Kelisha Chandler & Traci Johnson)
*Block off the end of the hallway area with table clothes, banners, and balloons.
*Set up stations like a carnival. (Parent volunteers work each station.)
*Students rotate freely through the stations.
*Stations include:
face painting
popcorn stand
cookie decorating
jewelry bracelet making
3-4 arts & crafts stations
button making
sun visor hat making
Daddy/Daughter Dance (Heather McKinney)
We charge $5 admission per couple and do the dance from 6-7 pm on Friday. (We use the money to pay for an end of the year ice cream party.) Everyone dresses in their Sunday best and the gym is decorated like a party. (There’s a background wall for pictures.) Cake, punch, and cookies are set up at tables around the dance floor. The DJ runs through a play list with songs like “Casper Slide,” “Cha Cha Slide” and other “clean” songs. End with John Legend’s “Give Me All of You.”
Kindergarten Prom (Brenda Fella, Annette Kimball, Ashley Cramer, Myra Stumler, Michelle Miller, and Hannah Flamion)
We decided to plan a day of fun for our students at William Tell Elementary in Tell City, IN. We all dressed up, decorated the hallway, and danced to music on the playground. We learned about manners and tied other standards in as well.
Fairy Tale/Nursery Rhyme Festival (Stacey Kaiser, Tiffany Youngbloogd, Regina Padgett, and Heather Baden)
(This could be done instead of a Halloween celebration or at the end of the school year.)
Children and teachers dress up like their favorite nursery rhyme or fairy tale character. They have to bring the book or a paper with the nursery rhyme on it. Each of the four kindergarten rooms has an activity to go along with the theme.
*”Itsy Bitsy Spider” – pipe cleaner with a spider ring taped to the rhyme – Oreo cookie and string Twizzler to make a spider
*”Mary Had Little Lamb” – sheep craft with cotton balls – hang them up and then they have to find their sheep
*“Three Little Pigs” – make pig masks for retelling the story
*”Three Bears” – character puppets – taste porridge (instant oatmeal)
After the students have visited the different classrooms and finished the activities we have a parade down the hallway for other grade levels.
Here are a few more ideas from Indy Summer Camp.
Peace Corner (Jillian Teder)
Set up a "peace corner" in your classroom where children can go to self-regulate and regain self control before returning to the group when they are overwhelmed or frustrated.
Thank You Song (Heather McKinney)
Two little words I'm learning today.
Two little words so easy to say.
To show my gratitude I've found a way..
I can say, "Thank you! Thank you!"
Good-Bye Song (Heather McKinney)
Good-bye, good-bye, we worked hard today.
We'll see you tomorrow, tomorrow is ______.
(Or, we won't see you tomorrow because tomorrow is Saturday.)
Time for Story (Heather McKinney)
Tune: "My Darlin' Clementine"
Time for story, time for story
time for story come right here.
Quiet hands are in your lap.
Time to look and time to hear.
Whack a Word Game (Megan Schultz)
Materials: fly swatter, Velcro, flashcards
Directions: Attach Velcro to the fly swatter and to the back of the cards. Place the cards face down on the floor. Kids "whack" the cards with the fly swatter and then identify the information.
*Use it for categories (farm animals, things we eat, etc.), beginning sounds, rhyming, sight words, letters, etc. It can be used in a small group, whole group, or independently.
*We also have boards that they can stick them on after they swat them.
Here are a few more ideas from Indy Summer Camp.
Peace Corner (Jillian Teder)
Set up a "peace corner" in your classroom where children can go to self-regulate and regain self control before returning to the group when they are overwhelmed or frustrated.
Thank You Song (Heather McKinney)
Two little words I'm learning today.
Two little words so easy to say.
To show my gratitude I've found a way..
I can say, "Thank you! Thank you!"
Good-Bye Song (Heather McKinney)
Good-bye, good-bye, we worked hard today.
We'll see you tomorrow, tomorrow is ______.
(Or, we won't see you tomorrow because tomorrow is Saturday.)
Time for Story (Heather McKinney)
Tune: "My Darlin' Clementine"
Time for story, time for story
time for story come right here.
Quiet hands are in your lap.
Time to look and time to hear.
Whack a Word Game (Megan Schultz)
Materials: fly swatter, Velcro, flashcards
Directions: Attach Velcro to the fly swatter and to the back of the cards. Place the cards face down on the floor. Kids "whack" the cards with the fly swatter and then identify the information.
*Use it for categories (farm animals, things we eat, etc.), beginning sounds, rhyming, sight words, letters, etc. It can be used in a small group, whole group, or independently.
*We also have boards that they can stick them on after they swat them.
It was HOT outside in Orlando, but look at all my COOL new friends!
